One to Take (One to Hold 8)

My throat tightens as I watch them start to walk in our direction. When the tall man steps out of the shadows, I stop dancing. I’m standing on the dance floor facing Stuart.

My heart clenches, and my stomach cramps. I can’t decide which way I want to run—to him or out the door. He studies me for several moments, and I see all the emotions warring in my chest reflected in his eyes.

He’s my man.

He’s not my man.

I need to go to him.

I need to stay away from him.

What is he doing here???

Kenny stops dancing when she sees where I’m looking, and I feel her hand clasp mine. “Are you okay?”

I can’t answer her. I can’t move as Stuart Knight begins moving toward me. Dancing couples part before him like the Red Sea before Moses, and in my peripheral vision, I notice Pete is coming toward me from a different angle.

Stuart arrives first, and for a moment we’re suspended in time so close we could touch each other. My skin is humming, and my head feels light.

“You’ve changed your hair.” His voice is like warm liquid spilling through my insides. I almost close my eyes. Almost.

“I’ve changed a lot of things.” I’m shocked at how calm my voice sounds. My heart is thumping all around in my chest.

“Not everything, I hope.” He smiles, revealing those straight white teeth. My thumb itches to touch his chin.

“I wouldn’t even know how to begi

n to answer that.”

Another song starts up, and the dancers around us close the gap, twisting and turning to the music.

Pete’s at my side, and I feel him touch my arm. “Is he bothering you?” he shouts over the noise, but I can’t look away from Stuart.

I notice Kenny at my side, taking his arm. “Come on, tough guy,” she says. “I’ll buy you a drink.”

A dancer bumps into me, sending me straight into Stuart’s chest. A wave of cedar-tinged Stuart-smell assaults my senses, and I exhale a little noise. Thankfully, it’s lost in the music. Oh, god, how I’ve missed his scent.

“Can we go somewhere else?” Our faces are so close, and his smoky hazel eyes brim with… something. “Away from the noise?”

I’m afraid to be alone with him. I don’t know if I’m strong enough yet. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be strong enough to tell him to go to hell. I don’t even know if that’s what I want to say. Still, with all we’ve been through and all I’ve learned, I can’t be the person I was before.

“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “I’m not sure if I’m ready.”

He glances down, and my eyes run all over his face. His hair is longer than he usually wears it. It ends in shaggy curls around his ears. His face is lined and tired, and his body is lean again, like it was when we were first together when he was fighting the drugs.

“You’ve been working.”

“Trying to kill the pain.” His voice is rough, and it moves something inside me.

“The stairs in the back lead down to the beach.” I point in the direction of the DJ booth. “We can walk along the shore if you want.”

He nods and follows me as I lead us through the crowd to the back entrance. A wide patio is attached to the back of the club, and couples are scattered around in different levels of engagement. I don’t linger, walking through them and going down the wide staircase to the beach below.

Stuart is right behind me, and the closeness of this man sends waves of desire crashing through my insides. I have to fight it.

“It’s warm tonight,” I say, pausing to slip off my booties.

“Can I help you with those?”